National Academy of Television Arts & SciencesJill Johnson/JPI Studios

Though “The Young and the Restless’” Melissa Claire Egan (Chelsea Newman) has been nominated for four Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series Emmy awards in the past, this fifth nomination isn’t any less special. In fact, she says it’s always an honor to be recognized for hard work. “It’s always so thrilling, and it’s always an exciting, pleasant, flattering thing,” she enthuses. “I’ve gotten texts and emails and Facebook messages, and it really is so, so lovely. You really feel like it’s your birthday but even more so. Everybody professionally and personally comes out. And it’s so, so heartwarming.”

Of course, it doesn’t always feel the best to be competing against close co-stars like Elizabeth Hendrickson (Chloe Mitchell) and Amelia Heinle (Victoria Newman), but that’s the way it goes when you work in a talented pool of actors. “Its such a great group,” she explains. “We watch everyone’s preliminary reels now, and so I saw the women from ‘General Hospital,’ [Jane Elliott (Tracy Quartermaine) and Kelly Sullivan (Kate Howard)], and they were so great, too, so I feel like it’s such a solid [race]. It’s really anybody’s ballgame. Everybody was so good, and everybody’s reels were so good and intense. So it’s really just flattering, and I feel really lucky and blessed.”

Sean Smith/JPI Studios

Surprisingly, while many of her “Y&R” co-stars submitted material revolving around Delia’s death, Egan chose something a bit different. “I submitted an episode that aired in early September, when the whole Chelsea/Dylan [Steve Burton]/Adam [Michael Muhney] baby bombshell was coming out,” she reveals. “The episode was of me and Steve Burton, and it’s when everything is coming to a head.

“It’s actually my favorite reel I’ve ever submitted to the Emmys, because it’s such an arc,” she continues. “Connor has his eye thing, and Chelsea says, ‘Well, Adam had this same condition,’ and he’s like, ‘What are the odds your [ex] and our son have the same condition?’ and I’m like, ‘You’ll have to ask a doctor,’ and it’s very much like, ‘Oh, this girl is caught!’ And then it kind of arcs up to her telling him, ‘He’s not your son, he’s Adam’s son,’ and then everything explodes from that admission. It was like a roller coaster, like, tick, tick, tick, tick, tick, up and then it was just like boom! And down and up and down and up. It was really like a roller coaster ride through all seven scenes. So it was really a no-brainer for me. I just picked that one.”

Jill Johnson/JPI Studios

Choosing her reel, however, is about as much as the bride-to-be has prepared thus far. For instance, when asked if she’s thought about what she’ll wear come the Emmy ceremony on June 22, she laughs and says she has no idea. “My wedding [to Matt Katrosar] is in three months, so that’s kind of been my focus,” she admits.

But at least having a groom-to-be means she has an instant Emmy date, which is one less thing to worry about! “Oh for sure, my future hubby has to be my date,” she gushes. “He loves it. He loves coming to support [me], and he loves a lot of my co-stars that he’s met, so it’s a fun date night.”

And she says it will be fun whether the ceremony will be shown on television or not. “I think at the end of the day, daytime fans, especially soap fans, are so passionate and so awesome and always so supportive no matter what happens… so I think it’ll still be just as special to the fans if they can stream it [online].” she explains. “We know they’re there with us and their energy is with us. So we’ll just have to see what happens. If you look at ‘One Life to Live,’ that was a streamed show, and it’s now up for Best Show, so as long as they can stream it, somehow, it’ll still be exciting, and we can always feel that fan energy. Even on Twitter today, the fans are so passionate and so dedicated, and we always feel that coming through, no matter if it’s through the TV or the computer.”